Development News

Art Effect gallery opens in Eastern Market

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Built in the 1920's, the former home of the Germack Pistachio Co. in Eastern Market sat empty for over a decade after the Germack family moved their headquarters down the road. At 20,000 square feet, the four-story building at 1401 Fisher was difficult to rent out, co-owner Elyse Germack says. "Over the years, we had been investing in the building. It was a two-to-three year process" to renovate the building, she says. "We finally decided that we were going to do it ourselves."

Out of Germack's can-do attitude came the Art Effect gallery, devoted to up-and-coming and local artists. The gallery occupies 3,000 square feet of space on the first floor. There's an adjoining bar, which adds an additional 1,500 square feet of space. Germack, who owns a law firm in Birmingham, says they've already utilized the space for special events and fundraisers.

Germack said the idea for Art Effect came to her after meeting many young CCS grads. She said she wanted to showcase the artistic skills of Detroit's lesser-known creatives. "I thought maybe there's an opportunity to help support these new graduates -- and the community benefits, too" she says.

Her long term goal involves building out the rest of the old Germack Pistachio Co. building into a fully functioning art incubator. "We have a business plan that includes using the lofts as studio space for artists," Germack says. "We're hoping we can create a kind of artist colony where artists can create and then show their work in the same space. It makes for a sustainable businesses model."

The Art Effect is open by appointment Thursdays and Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Saturdays to the public from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Contact Elyse Germack at 248-227-2610 and visit the forthcoming website, arteffectgallery.com.